Frequently asked questions

Basics

Crowdfunding is a financial model in which several people (the "crowd") jointly finance an idea or project (the "funding").

The starter introduces his or her idea through videos, images, and text; sets the funding goal and time frame; and decides on rewards for the supporters. Anyone who wants to help make the idea a reality is free to support a project.

What makes crowdfunding special is that supporters receive rewards - the finished product, for example - in exchange for their support. Especially important is the "all-or-nothing" principle: The starter only gets paid if the funding goal is reached—if not, the money goes back to the supporters.

Every project must first pass through a starting phase before the funding phase can begin.

During the starting phase, the starter can kick off communication for the project, share the idea with their network, and receive feedback. Because the starter is still free to edit or rework the overall presentation of the project during this phase, this feedback can be taken into account in order to make improvements.

A crowdfunding page can be used by corporations, foundations, funding agencies, universities, cities, and clubs to support creative projects on Startnext, give advice, curate ideas, and create contests. You can create a crowdfunding page through your user profile.

Go to "Profile settings", scroll down, and click "Delete profile." Your profile will be deleted on all platforms in the Startnext Network, and you will no longer receive messages from the site. Please note that this action cannot be undone.

It may be that you cannot delete your profile for the following reasons:

You have a project in the starting phase, funding phase, or end phase (the payout).

You have an active crowdfunding page.

You have supported a project that is still in the funding phase, and we have not yet received your payment or your payment has not yet been returned to you.

For supporters

Support

After logging in, visit the project page, where you will find a button labeled "Become a fan" next to the project video. There’s also a heart icon below the video that you can click to become a fan of the project.

As a fan, you're under no financial obligation, but it’s helpful to starters if you also offer them feedback on their idea.

Support

Yes. Just check "I would like to support this project privately" during the support process. Your name will still be visible to the starter, but will not be listed publicly on the project page. The starter will see your email and if necessary your delivery address once the campaign is successfully completed.

Support

Starters are not permitted to send donation receipts unless the project is not-for-profit, in which case they must issue a donation receipt. If you have provided your shipping address, you will receive a donation receipt from the starter if you have supported a not-for-profit project that is successfully funded.

Donation receipts cannot be issued as rewards.

Support

You are receiving these messages because you are a fan of the project—if you prefer not to receive any more messages, you must end your fan status. To do so, simply visit the project page and click "I don’t like it anymore" in the fans box, which you’ll find in the right-hand column under rewards.

Payment

With advance payments, supporters are responsible for making the actual wire transfer themselves.

Direct debit and credit card will be charged only once the project has reached its funding goal. Please make sure that you have sufficient funds in your account or that your credit card has not expired.

Payment

Yes, you can withdraw your support here . You may cancel anytime up until the end of the funding phase. If the funding phase has ended, the starter has already received your money, and you would still like to withdraw your support, please notify us and we will forward your withdrawal to the starter.

Payment

Rewards

For expected delivery times, check the reward descriptions on the project page. After the project has been successfully funded, you'll also find news about the project and information about the rewards on the project site’s blog.

If you have questions about a reward, contact the starter through the messaging system, by email, or by posting a public message on their project’s wall.

Rewards

If the project is still in the funding phase, click the "Supports" button on your profile page or click "Support details" in the payment confirmation message that you received from us. From there, you can make any necessary changes.

If you need to change your support details or shipping address and the funding phase has ended, contact the starter directly.

For starters

Process

To begin the step-by-step creation process, click "Start your project". Once you have created a new project, you will be able to edit the project using the options in the left-hand column. Here, you can:

Describe the project.

Specify the funding goal, timeline, and rewards.

Add images and a pitch video.

Create blog posts for the project page.

Track your statistics.

You will find all the information for the creation of your project here, as well as in our Starter Handbook, in which we have collected the key factors and tips for a successful campaign. Your project draft is not publicly visible until you enter the starting phase. You can change your project whenever you’d like up until the funding phase. You may create your project in German, English, or both.

Once your project draft is ready, begin the starting phase by clicking "Change phase". You can also contact your project advisor with questions by clicking the "Contact" button through this interface.

Process

Yes, but only one person from the team can create the project page and become the starter, and thus the administrator and owner of the project.

The starter can list other team members by clicking "Team" in the interface. The names of team members are visible on the project site. Team members can also see the project draft using the project link, write blog posts, and track statistics.

Process

Process

Once your project is in the starting phase, it is visible to everyone. If you would like to obtain protection for your idea, please familiarize yourself with copyright, patent, or trademark laws. For example, some inventors or developers apply for a patent to protect their idea before beginning their crowdfunding campaign.

Process

You will receive your supporters’ information if your project is successfully funded. After you have confirmed that you are ready to complete your project and have accepted the money, you will receive your supporter details.

When you are ready to send out rewards, you can find your supporters’ data under "Supports". There, you can you export your supporters’ shipping information into an Excel list.

Tip: To ensure that all of your supporter information is up to date and that all of the payments are valid, download the list only after all the donations have been paid out.

Process

If you share your project on Facebook, it is possible that incorrect data have been stored in a cache by Facebook. This happens when you share a project that hasn’t yet been activated on Startnext, or you have made changes to your project since sharing it on Facebook. If this is the case, Facebook is not able to access the correct data.

You can delete the incorrect information on Facebook by visiting [this link] and entering your project page’s link. You can then display or update the current information that is being shared. Please note that your project must be publicly visible on Startnext in order for this to work.

Process

The project widget is a preview of your project with a picture, brief description, and the current funding status. You can easily embed the widget in your own website or blog (except for WordPress). Anyone who clicks on the widget is directed to your Startnext project page.

You can find all the information about the widget by clicking on "Embed", which can be found on your project page below the video.

Process

In order for you to be able to collect funds, we are legally obligated to verify your identity and account information. The verification process takes between 7 and 14 days; be sure to begin this process as soon as possible if you would like to start a project quickly.

On your project page, select "Verification”; there, you must indicate whether you would like to be verified as an individual or as a corporation. A list of the documents necessary to complete the verification process will then be displayed.

Process

Through our experience with many crowdfunding projects, we have learned a lot about which presentation aspects play a role in a successful project. Below, we have collected the best ways to generate interest in your project and increase the chances that it will be successfully funded.

Pitch Video

Under three minutes long

Starter introduces themself or their team

Project idea is clearly explained

Crowd is directly addressed

voids using straight-up trailers (e.g. for film projects) as pitch videos

Rewards

Should be tied into the successful completion of the project (the finished product, for example)

Between 3 and 10 different reward options, with clear titles and images, as well as a detailed description, for each

Reasonable support brackets

Project Description

Concise

Clear, easy-to-understand text

Thematically unified

Includes a transparent presentation of the funding situation: other supporters, sponsors, etc.

Pictures

Meaningful and compelling images that capture the attention of the crowd

Process

Every day, our team of project advisors comes across countless fascinating new projects. From these, we select a colorful assortment of projects representing all categories.

A gripping story, an exceptional pitch video, attractive rewards, a high degree of innovation, or an idea that we believe would be particularly meaningful to our community are just a few things that catch our eye. An exemplary project presentation completes the package.

Funding

This number is the sum of all outstanding payments, and appears when supporters have used advance payment to make supports. If a payment cannot be confirmed immediately, it may take between 2 to 5 business days before it shows up in the account. Until these funds are deposited, the gray number will be displayed.

Note: If your project’s runtime ends and there are still outstanding payments, they will not be counted toward your funding goal. Only verified payments will be counted.

Funding

You will receive the money after 14 days, when you have confirmed your project. It will be paid separately by our two payment processors depending on which payment methods your supporters used:

Advance payment + sofort banking (Fidor Bank): The money will be paid to the account you provided during the verification process.

Direct debit + credit card (secupay): The money is collected from supporters only after the funding goal has been reached, and will be deposited into the account you provided during the verification process.

Transactions fees

The transaction fees will be deducted by the payment processors prior to payout. You will receive an invoice from Startnext for the transaction fees and your voluntary commission.

For payment-related questions, please contact us at payment (at) startnext.com.

Funding

Payments made with direct debit or credit card are drawn only after the funding goal has been reached. In exceptional cases, it’s possible that the payment can’t be collected—for example, there’s not enough money in the supporter’s bank account or the credit card is no longer valid.

How can I see if there are pending payments for my project?

In your supporters list, outstanding payments are also marked with an exclamation point.

What are refunded payments?

We will try to collect the money again within 14 days. If it cannot be recovered, the payment will be canceled after this 14-day period.

To find refunded payments, filter according to "Refunded payments".

Tip: If a supporter’s payment is still pending, we recommend waiting until it has been confirmed before sending them a reward.

Funding

Congratulations! If you have a commitment from a patron or sponsor, convince them to pay their support directly through Startnext. If for some reason that isn’t possible, discuss with your project advisor whether it’s possible to incorporate their support into your project.

Please send the following information to projekte (at) startnext.com:

A short explanation of why the money cannot be paid directly

A signed grant approval or sponsorship agreement indicating the total payment amount

We will look over this information and discuss with you how we can make the promotion visible within your crowdfunding project. Using the partner fields on your project page, you can display a list of your sponsors, patrons, or other partners.

Crowdinvesting

Crowdinvesting, also known as equity-based crowdfunding, is when someone invests in a startup or a company and thus shares in the profit. Crowdinvesting is a form of venture capital - that is, each investment comes with risk.

Crowdinvesting is recommended for starters if the capital requirement is quite high (over €25,000), no tangible rewards arise from the project, and having a share in the profits is favorable.

Crowdinvesting

Important notice! Due to the new law for regulating the “Grey Capital Market” of Mezzanine Products (Kleinanlegerschutzgesetz) our internal processes will be evaluated and reorganized. For the time being we will not accept and we will no longer check new proposals.

Cooperatives, social businesses, and startups from cultural and creative industries may use crowdinvesting, and can even combine crowdfunding with crowdinvesting. Crowdinvesting is possible only if the funding goal exceeds €25,000.

Startnext offers the following contract models for crowdinvesting:

Cooperative shares

Subordinated shareholder loans

Crowdinvesting

Important notice! Due to the new law for regulating the “Grey Capital Market” of Mezzanine Products (Kleinanlegerschutzgesetz) our internal processes will be evaluated and reorganized. For the time being we will not accept and we will no longer check new proposals.

The crowdinvesting setup fee is €595, which must be paid at the time of booking. The fee covers the technical setup and a plausibility check of the contracts involved, which is carried out by our lawyer.

Crowdinvesting project starters must bring contracts that have been prepared and approved by a lawyer. (We can provide a sample contract, but it still must be adapted and approved by a lawyer.) We are happy to recommend a lawyer to make this process as cost- and time-efficient as possible.

The setup fee does not cover any sort of consultation. If you are interested, a consultation can be booked separately. All transaction fees, as well as Startnext’s voluntary commission policy, also apply to crowdinvesting projects.

Once you have logged in, go to "Profile settings" on the left-hand side of your profile. There, you can set your email notification preferences for how often you’d like to be notified when you receive a new message: immediately, daily, weekly, or never.